Under the ban, sale of cat and dog fur in the 27-nation bloc will only be allowed for educational or taxidermy purposes under strict conditions.
The new guidelines were drafted by the EU executive after evidence surfaced in 2003 that cat and dog fur products were traded in the EU despite a voluntary code of conduct by fur traders.
The EU parliamentarians scrapped a proposed exception that would have allowed traders to sell cat and dog fur provided it did not come from animals bred or killed for fur production.
The EU is taking an important step towards ending the cruel and brutal way in which these animals are slaughtered for their fur. It is high time that a ban on the trade in cat and dog fur was introduced in the EU, with other countries, like the U.S. and Australia, having had bans in place for a number of years, said Green deputy Heide Ruehle.
EU member governments will be responsible for enforcing the new legislation. Cat and dog fur products will be seized at the borders and importers and traders will be fined, the EU said.
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